No groceries store or convinience store
Only small snacks at hotel you can get, but very expensive and not many kinds of them.
Get and bring enough foods including alcohol!
Medicine, drinks and snacks are near Yudanaka station “American Drug”.
If you want to get much foods and drinks, take an express bus and get off EAON Nakano. It’s multi purpose huge supermarket and quite cheap. Yamanouchi town has only small stores and convinience stores.
No bank or ATM
There is a post office front of Yamano-eki. I think the ATM of post office doesn’t handle foreign card.
Money exchange machine is in Yamano-eki, otherwise just ask your hotel owner to change.
Credit card accepts at hotel and to purchase skiing pass, but lunch needs cash maybe.
Bus doesn’t run at evening
Poor time table, last bus drive around 7pm in Shiga Kogen. Yakebitai Prince hotel drives own bus at evening for dinner and drink. Thus, I recommend to stay Ichinose area…
Hundreds students may be at same hotel
Basically Shiga Kogen built up skiing business for school kids ski holiday. Except Okushiga and Yakebitai, all resort welcome students from all over Japan.
Nothing to do in bad weather
Blizzard or snowstorm, lifts will be stopped. Have a lazy chilling out in the room …. sadly there are not many cafes open, Okushiga will be best to take a break relaxing with fire lounge. Otherwise get a bus to town center to see monkey, walk around hotspring area and go to restaurants. If you have a rent car, Obuse or Nagano city would be fine.
Taxi refuses you
Train, bus and taxi run by same company Nagaden which doesn’t bring you Shiga Kogen ski area from town center by taxi. Other taxi office will be ok. Last express bus leaves 17:25 at Nagano station, local bus leaves 18:30 at yudanaka. Don’t miss it!
Road closed between Shiga Kogen and Kusatsu
Next town Kusatsu onsen of Gunma prefecture is one of a famous hotspring town in Japan. The road closes from November to end of April due to heavy snow. In spring ski season, you can see and drive the snow wall road!
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